If you go …

Over the past few years, Ardsley has become home to several international restaurants, adding Italian, Japanese, Mexican and Thai to its repertoire. All it was missing was a little souvlaki and some feta. Until now.

Downtown — that’s its name, just Downtown — opened in mid-summer, but chef and owner Steve Vagianos happily reports that the Greek restaurant has already become a bustling lunch hotspot. Customers are lining up for his homemade dishes deriving from old family recipes, made with fresh ingredients. Spanakopita, shrimp Santorini and kebabs are the most popular dishes, he says.

But when it comes to decor, forget patterned tablecloths, Greek statues, and grape leaves. Downtown is more along the lines of a midtown, modern lounge.

The restaurant’s red banquettes, shell chairs and oversize pictures of New York City give it an upscale feel. The only giveaways to the cuisine are the soft sounds of traditional music and the smells coming from the kitchen.

The menu offers a range of dishes to start with — from crispy fried calamari circling a bowl of marinara sauce to a variety of spreads like hummus and tzatziki served with warm pita bread.

There are several salads to choose from — Greek Salad, of course! — but if you are looking for lighter fare, you don’t want to miss the avgolemono soup. In the Greek version of chicken rice, the creamy broth of the soup is infused with an egg-lemon sauce and topped off with pieces of shredded chicken and orzo.

While Vagianos offers plenty of reasonably-priced sandwiches and burgers, it’s hard to compete with the Greek favorites like pastitsio — lasagna comprised of ziti, meat and egg-enriched béchamel sauce — and the flaky layers of phyllo dough of the spanakopita spinach and feta pie. There are also several entrées to choose from—the Downtown Chicken is served sautéed with leeks and mushrooms in a cream sauce.

And for dessert, baklava, rice pudding and cheesecake are made fresh daily.

“You should also try the Greek coffee,” Vagianos says. “Although you don’t want to stir it because the grounds are at the bottom of the cup. In Greece, the women serve their coffee in much smaller cups. When they are finished, they flip their cups over to read their future in the coffee grounds.”

While the jury is still out on the fortune-telling powers of the piping hot beverage, the verdict’s in on flavor. The espresso-like drink has no bitter coffee aftertaste — it is sweet, delicious, and pairs perfectly with the pot de creme au chocolate, a rich semisweet custard.